February 27
Holidays
56 holidays recorded on February 27 throughout history
Quote of the Day
“How pleasing to the wise and intelligent portion of mankind is the concord which exists among you!”
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The Eastern Orthodox Church marks February 27 by commemorating Saint Procopius the Confessor and several other saints…
The Eastern Orthodox Church marks February 27 by commemorating Saint Procopius the Confessor and several other saints who resisted iconoclasm in the 8th and 9th centuries. They were tortured for refusing to destroy religious images. The Byzantine emperors wanted icons banned as idolatry. These saints said no, were exiled or killed, and are now honored specifically for that refusal. The controversy split Christianity for over a century. Icons stayed.
Saint Honorine was a fourth-century Norman girl who refused to marry a pagan governor.
Saint Honorine was a fourth-century Norman girl who refused to marry a pagan governor. He had her beheaded. Her body was thrown in the Seine. Centuries later, monks claimed they found her remains floating upstream — against the current. She became the patron saint of bakers. Nobody knows why. Some say it's because "Honorine" sounds like "four" in old French, and bakers worked at four in the morning. That's the entire explanation.
Saint Leander's feast day honors the 6th-century archbishop who converted Visigothic Spain from Arianism to Catholicism.
Saint Leander's feast day honors the 6th-century archbishop who converted Visigothic Spain from Arianism to Catholicism. He didn't do it through preaching. He did it by converting one person: Hermenegild, the Visigothic prince. Hermenegild's father executed him for refusing to renounce his new faith. But Hermenegild's brother Reccared watched it happen. When Reccared became king, he converted too. And brought the entire kingdom with him. Leander turned a nation by teaching two brothers. One died for it. The other lived to finish it.
Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows died at 24 from tuberculosis.
Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows died at 24 from tuberculosis. He'd been a Passionist seminarian for six years. Before that, Francesco Possenti — his birth name — loved dancing, theater, and expensive clothes. Twice he tried entering religious life. Twice he quit and went back to parties. Then cholera hit his town. He nursed the sick, watched them die, and finally stayed in the monastery. His fellow seminarians remembered him for doing dishes without complaining and never talking about his old life. The Catholic Church canonized him in 1920. He's now the patron saint of students and young people. The vain socialite became the saint of youth.
Maslenitsa starts today in Russia — a week-long goodbye to winter before Orthodox Lent begins.
Maslenitsa starts today in Russia — a week-long goodbye to winter before Orthodox Lent begins. Every day has its own ritual. Monday for welcoming. Tuesday for games. Wednesday for feasting. Thursday gets wild: fistfights, sledding, burning effigies. The whole thing centers on blini, those thin pancakes Russians make by the hundreds. They're round and golden like the sun. You eat them with sour cream, caviar, honey, whatever you want. The sun's coming back. On Sunday, you ask forgiveness from everyone you've wronged. Then you burn a straw effigy of winter and the fasting starts.
The Dominican Republic celebrates its independence twice.
The Dominican Republic celebrates its independence twice. Most countries get one. This one needed two. February 27, 1844: independence from Haiti, which had occupied the eastern two-thirds of Hispaniola for 22 years. But before Haiti, there was Spain. And Spain came back. For four years in the 1860s, Dominicans actually asked Spain to re-colonize them — a political miscalculation that remains nearly unique in Latin American history. They had to win independence again in 1865. So National Day marks the first break, from Haiti. Not from Europe. From their neighbors on the same island. The only country in the Americas to gain independence from another Latin American nation.
Vietnamese Doctor's Day honors the founder of Vietnamese traditional medicine, Tue Tinh.
Vietnamese Doctor's Day honors the founder of Vietnamese traditional medicine, Tue Tinh. He lived in the 14th century under the Tran Dynasty. He wrote "Nam Duoc Than Hieu" — Southern Medicine's Miraculous Effects — the first medical text to systematically document Vietnamese herbal remedies distinct from Chinese medicine. Before this, Vietnamese doctors relied entirely on Chinese texts that didn't account for local plants, climate, or diseases. Tue Tinh catalogued 3,800 medicinal plants native to Vietnam. He treated the emperor's mother when Chinese court physicians had given up. She recovered. The date celebrates medical professionals across Vietnam, but it's really about the moment Vietnamese medicine became its own science.
The Bahá'í calendar has 19 months of 19 days each.
The Bahá'í calendar has 19 months of 19 days each. That's 361 days. Four or five days don't fit. Those are Ayyám-i-Há — the "Days of Há." Not a holiday. Not a holy day. Intercalary days. They fall right before the last month, which is a month of fasting. So Bahá'ís use these days to give gifts, host feasts, visit the sick, help the poor. It's preparation through generosity. The calendar was designed by the Báb in the 1840s. He built the gap right into the structure. These days exist because 19 times 19 doesn't equal a solar year. Math created a festival.
Dominicans celebrate their independence today, commemorating the 1844 proclamation that ended twenty-two years of Hai…
Dominicans celebrate their independence today, commemorating the 1844 proclamation that ended twenty-two years of Haitian rule. This uprising established the Dominican Republic as a sovereign nation, separating the eastern two-thirds of Hispaniola from its neighbor and initiating the country's distinct political and cultural trajectory as an independent state.
International Polar Bear Day exists because Churchill, Manitoba became the polar bear capital of the world by accident.
International Polar Bear Day exists because Churchill, Manitoba became the polar bear capital of the world by accident. The town sits on a migration route where bears wait for Hudson Bay to freeze. Every fall, a thousand bears wander through town. They had to build a polar bear jail. The holiday started in 2005 to highlight that those bears now wait three weeks longer for ice than they did in 1980. The jail stays busy.
George Herbert died at 39, a country priest who'd written poetry his parishioners never saw.
George Herbert died at 39, a country priest who'd written poetry his parishioners never saw. He gave the manuscript to a friend: publish it if you think it's worth anything, burn it if not. The friend published. "The Temple" became one of the most influential collections in English literature. Herbert had spent years at Cambridge and in Parliament before choosing a rural parish. He was there three years. The poetry outlasted everything else.
Maharashtra celebrates its language today — Marathi, spoken by 83 million people, most of them in this one state.
Maharashtra celebrates its language today — Marathi, spoken by 83 million people, most of them in this one state. The date marks the birthday of V.V. Shirwadkar, a poet who wrote under the pen name Kusumagraj. He won the Jnanpith Award, India's highest literary honor, in 1987. But the holiday isn't really about him. It's about a language that predates English in India by centuries, that has its own script derived from Brahmi, that produces more films annually than most countries' entire industries. Mumbai is in Maharashtra. Most Bollywood movies are made in Hindi, not Marathi. The state uses this day to remind everyone: we were here first.
World NGO Day started in 2014, but nobody's sure who started it.
World NGO Day started in 2014, but nobody's sure who started it. The UN didn't declare it. No government did either. It just appeared on calendars, backed by a network of NGOs themselves. Now it's observed in 89 countries. Over 10 million nonprofits exist worldwide. They employ more people than most Fortune 500 companies combined. And they decided, collectively, to celebrate themselves. It worked.
Romans gathered at the Campus Martius to hold chariot races in honor of Mars, the god of war.
Romans gathered at the Campus Martius to hold chariot races in honor of Mars, the god of war. These Equirria rituals served to purify the Roman cavalry and military equipment, ensuring the army remained battle-ready for the upcoming spring campaigning season.
The Bahá'í calendar has 19 months of 19 days each.
The Bahá'í calendar has 19 months of 19 days each. That's 361 days. The remaining four days—five in leap years—don't belong to any month. They exist outside the structure entirely. Bahá'ís call them Ayyám-i-Há: intercalary days. They fall right before the final month and the new year. No work obligations, no regular rules. Just hospitality, gifts, and preparing for the 19-day fast that follows. A deliberate pause built into time itself.
Afrikaners commemorate Majuba Day to honor the 1881 victory where Boer commandos defeated British forces at the Battl…
Afrikaners commemorate Majuba Day to honor the 1881 victory where Boer commandos defeated British forces at the Battle of Majuba Hill. This triumph secured the restoration of the South African Republic’s independence, ending the First Boer War and emboldening Afrikaner nationalism for decades to come.
Luc de Messine (it) († 1140), Abbé italien fondateur du monastère du Saint-Sauveur de Messine.
Luc de Messine (it) († 1140), Abbé italien fondateur du monastère du Saint-Sauveur de Messine.
Joseph Tous y Soler († 1871), bienheureux prêtre espagnol capucin, fondateur des capucines de la mère du Divin Pasteur.
Joseph Tous y Soler († 1871), bienheureux prêtre espagnol capucin, fondateur des capucines de la mère du Divin Pasteur.
Emmanuel de Crémone († 1198), bienheureux cistercien et 39e évêque de Crémone.
Emmanuel de Crémone († 1198), bienheureux cistercien et 39e évêque de Crémone.
Thalalée (ru) († vers 460) ou Thallélaios, ermite près de Gabala en Syrie, vivait dans un tonneau près d'un temple païen.
Thalalée (ru) († vers 460) ou Thallélaios, ermite près de Gabala en Syrie, vivait dans un tonneau près d'un temple païen.
Marcuvard de Prüm († 855), abbé de l'abbaye de Prüm.
Marcuvard de Prüm († 855), abbé de l'abbaye de Prüm.
Herefrith de Louth (en) († 873), évêque de Louth.
Herefrith de Louth (en) († 873), évêque de Louth.
Gélasin d'Héliopolis († 297), comédien, martyr à Héliopolis.
Gélasin d'Héliopolis († 297), comédien, martyr à Héliopolis.
Étienne l'Hospitalier († 614), ancien dignitaire de la cour de l'empereur byzantin Maurice, fondateur de l'Hospice du…
Étienne l'Hospitalier († 614), ancien dignitaire de la cour de l'empereur byzantin Maurice, fondateur de l'Hospice du quartier d'Armanos à Constantinople.
Besam († 250), soldat martyr à Alexandrie.
Besam († 250), soldat martyr à Alexandrie.
Ascelepios (Ve siècle) et saint Jacques, ascètes dans les déserts de Syrie.
Ascelepios (Ve siècle) et saint Jacques, ascètes dans les déserts de Syrie.
Fêtes religieuses romaines : equiria en l'honneur du dieu Mars.
Fêtes religieuses romaines : equiria en l'honneur du dieu Mars.
Calendrier Badí‘ : deuxième jour de la période intercalaire Ayyám-i-Há (en) ou des jours de Há qui célèbrent la trans…
Calendrier Badí‘ : deuxième jour de la période intercalaire Ayyám-i-Há (en) ou des jours de Há qui célèbrent la transcendance de Dieu et permettent en outre de se raccorder au calendrier grégorien.
Día Mundial de las ONG.
Día Mundial de las ONG.
Tite des Grottes de Kiev (ru) († 1190), prêtre.
Tite des Grottes de Kiev (ru) († 1190), prêtre.
Christian feast day: Anne Line
Christian feast day: Anne Line
Santa Honorina de Rouen, virgen y mártir.
Santa Honorina de Rouen, virgen y mártir.
San Besa de Alejandría, mártir (s.
San Besa de Alejandría, mártir (s. III).
Santos Julián y Euno de Alejandría, mártires (s.
Santos Julián y Euno de Alejandría, mártires (s. III).
República Dominicana República Dominicana: Día de la Independencia.
República Dominicana República Dominicana: Día de la Independencia.
Día Internacional del Oso Polar.
Día Internacional del Oso Polar.
Roger (voir 30 décembre),
Roger (voir 30 décembre),
Beata María de Jesús Deluil Martiny, virgen (f.
Beata María de Jesús Deluil Martiny, virgen (f. 1884).
Namenstage Leander, Marko
Namenstage Leander, Marko
Kirchliche Gedenktage Patrick Hamilton, schottischer Priester und Märtyrer (evangelisch)
Kirchliche Gedenktage Patrick Hamilton, schottischer Priester und Märtyrer (evangelisch)
Sesilina.
Sesilina.
El Salvador El Salvador: Día del Citotecnólogo Salvadoreño.
El Salvador El Salvador: Día del Citotecnólogo Salvadoreño.
Ecuador Ecuador: Día del Civismo.
Ecuador Ecuador: Día del Civismo.
Día Mundial de la Anosmia.
Día Mundial de la Anosmia.
Dia do Auditor-Fiscal da Receita Federal do Brasil
Dia do Auditor-Fiscal da Receita Federal do Brasil
Dia Nacional do Livro Didático
Dia Nacional do Livro Didático
Aniversário do município de Aroazes, Piauí
Aniversário do município de Aroazes, Piauí
Aniversário do município de Xanxerê, Santa Catarina
Aniversário do município de Xanxerê, Santa Catarina
Beata María de la Caridad del Espíritu Santo, virgen (f.
Beata María de la Caridad del Espíritu Santo, virgen (f. 1943).
Beata Francisca Ana de la Virgen de los Dolores, virgen (f.
Beata Francisca Ana de la Virgen de los Dolores, virgen (f. 1855).
San Baldomero de Lyon, subdiácono (f.
San Baldomero de Lyon, subdiácono (f. c. 660).
Santos Basilio de Constantinopla y Procopio Decapolita, monjes (f.
Santos Basilio de Constantinopla y Procopio Decapolita, monjes (f. 741).
San Hipólito de Jura, abad y obispo (f.
San Hipólito de Jura, abad y obispo (f. c. 770).
San Lucas de Mesina, abad (f.
San Lucas de Mesina, abad (f. 1149).
Beato Guillermo Richardson, presbítero y mártir (f.
Beato Guillermo Richardson, presbítero y mártir (f. 1603).
Torquat de Braga († 716), évêque.
Torquat de Braga († 716), évêque.